“And now my spirit twists over the whale’s path.”
The 100-Word Challenge: I send you a 100-word prompt, and you write 100 words of fiction.
Welcome to The 100-Word Challenge, in which I send you 100 words of writing inspiration, and you write 100 words of anything you want—a novel, or a story, or just a quick sketch.
And if you find you’re itching to keep going, you can write more than 100 words. If not, you can stop there and feel great about the fact that you’re building a writing habit.
Paid subscribers will receive these emails every day in January (except Sundays). On Fridays, you’ll also receive a downloadable pdf with all of the week’s prompts.
Free subscribers will receive four of these 100-word newsletters, one on each Saturday in January.
Find all 100-Word Challenge prompts here.
January 18
“And now my spirit twists… over the whale’s path.”
In an Old English poem, a seafarer calls the ocean “the whale’s path.” This is an example of a kenning, which combines two words as a metaphor in place of a single-word noun.
A kenning invokes an emotion or stirs a mental image. It also reveals the values or experiences of its author.
See if you can determine the meaning of the famous kennings listed below. What kenning would your characters create?
wave’s horse
bane of wood
heaven’s gem
blood of grapes
voice-bearer
weather of weapons
Feel free to share your 100 words in the comments.
Answers: 1. ship, 2. fire, 3.sun, 4. wine, 5. person, 6. war
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[Continuing...]
“I suppose I deserved that,” Donna said. “I’m glad you don’t blame Reggie.”
“Not anymore.” She dropped the smoldering butt, and ground it with emphatic toe twists. “It took me years to accept the bastard’s apologies, on account of you…” She shook her head.
“Of me what?”
She had almost finished with, ‘dying today.’ Instead, she muttered, “Doesn’t matter.”
“It does.” Donna grasped Beatrice’s hands, and faced her. “It matters you’re here, now.”
“How? I don’t understand what’s happening. How I got here. How to get home. Please tell me how to return home!”
Without needing to ride death’s carriage.
This one needed me to sleep on it. That kenning was a real challenge, but i think it works, and within the story too. I hope you think so too...
[Continued...]
As the child fell asleep, Shala could not stop thinking about her father’s actions, and how shameful she felt for allowing herself to follow them. Even more so that she had failed. But did that mean Vardo was the true mystic? The next Breath Stealer? Her visions had shown that her time was up, but was she to move on with this family, or surrender herself to Vardo’s sword? Shala rocked the child as if she had not a care in the world, still humming while she pondered her own end. Eventually, she thought she knew what she must do